Kickstarting stalled housing
Plans to use a Compulsory Purchase Order to kick-start a stalled affordable housing scheme have been agreed by Chichester District Council.
Permission for the 15 homes off Crooked Lane, in Birdham, was given in 2013 but things ground to a halt when developer Hyde Group could not secure the rights to use an unregistered access track leading to the site.
Other access routes were explored but non were possible. Ten years on and the use of thec po was given the nod duringa meeting of the full council on Tuesday (March 21).
Some members of the public have questioned whether
the new homes were needed – but that decision was not up for debate.
Councillors simply had to decide whether or not to make use of their Compulsory Purchase powers and started to bring the whole saga to a close.
There has been a lot of push back over the years from peopleopposed tot hec po. among them was David Williams, of the Birdham Village Residents’ Association. Mr Williams accused Hyde of buying the land in the full knowledge that it did not include access.
He said: “The amount of time and money spent on this project has got to make a mockery of any cost normally associated with delivering social housing.”
Alan Sutton, cabinet memberfor housing, said :“please be assured that the council does not take decisions to recommend or authorise a Compulsory Purchase Order lightly. Decisions are made within very clearly defined legislation and the council is required to give full consideration of this and not look beyond it.”